The Portland daily press., 1887-06-11
STORIES OF THE STAGE.
Incidents Behind the Footlights Of
Which Audiences Know Nothing.
philadelphia North Americana

philadelphia North Americana
Campanini was tenor with whom no
prima donna ever quarreled, or ever made
soft eyes to that had real meaning in them.
And yet there were times when the fair
singers dreaded singing with him, He stim-
ulated passion, angry passion, altogether too
realistically, In the tender scenes of court
ship, as in "Faust," Campanini was a most
agreeable lover. He neither overdid nor un-
derdid the part. His touch was gentle, and
he had good mentor in pair of black eyes
belonging to Mrs. Campanini, who invari-
ably watched him from the scenes. But in
tragic parts like that of a jealous lover in
Carmen" Campanini was terror. The
gentle, sweet-volced little Valleria, who was
so great favorite in New York seven or
eight years ago, will carry scar on her
finger TO her dying day that Campanini made
while singing with her in Carmen" 1t
is his business in one of his paroxysms of
jealousy to seize Michaela's hand (Valleria's)
and on one occasion he did so with such
violent stimulation of passion that a ring she
wore cut through to the bone. 1t was splen-
did acting The audience cheered and
cheered, and he led Vallera to the footlights
while the poor woman was almost faint from
pain. Campanini was in great distress when
he learned what he had done Minnie Hauk
regarded Campanini as the best Don Jose by
all odds, as she always sang the part better
with him than with any one else; but
she used to caution him in an undertone
when she saw that his dramatic instinct was
impelling him to be too realistic, and once, in
the murder scene, when Don Jose is about to
stab Carmen to death, Campanini looked SO
ferocious and dreadful that Minnie Hauk
said in an undertone, with smile, ''Remem-
ber, you are not to really stab me-" An as
tonishng lack of jealousy characterized
Campanini, He never displayed the slight
est faint Of that passion, and Colonel Maple
son says that he Is the only great singer he
ever had to do with from whom jealousy did
not at times crop out.
The audiences who saw and heard Valleria
thought her too grave, sedate and not over
passionate, but she was one of the most de-
lightful of mischief lovers and fun makers.
She was Baltimore girl of German family
and while singing in London, married a
Manchester physician named Hutchinson.
On her last visit to the United States DR..
Hutchinson and party of friends accom-
panied her, and there was a sort of private
code or sign language with which the grave
little prlma dona used to communicate with
her husband and friends when they were in
one of the boxes. Valleria was very quick
| to see anything quaint or numerous Ia the
audience, and she could guide her husbands
| eye to anything that attracted her own
| Once in Faust" as Marguerite, when the
| company was i'll Washington, Valleria had g
| dreSsing-room in Ford's Theatre, that over
| looked the market 1t was dreadfully close
and stuffy box, aud not particularly private
| From it ValleTia overheard the wife of one
| OF the male singers scolding her husband
fearfully because he had flrted with young
woman, and the wife threatened to take and
keep her husbands wig SO that the young
woman could see what bald-headed wretch
he really was. 1t was larkS for Valleria,
and do what she would she could not keep
her eyes from that jealous wife behind the
scenes, and that very meek and much fright
ened tenor. Her husband and friends in the
box were informed of the comedy on the
stage and very little of Faust" did they
hear. And Valleria in one of her most tender
passages, leaning upon Faust's bosom, hap
pened to catch pair of glittering eyes and
expressive pantomine going on behind the
scenes between husband and wife, and to
choke, her laughter turned her head and
buried her face on Faust's shoulder Faust
was amazed, little Arditi wondered why she
was half beat behind, and the audience
thought it was most charming bit of tender
business